Jonah the reluctant Missionary

A Month In the Life of Jonah

Chapter 1:1-

The Word of the Lord “came”….
Q. Has the “Word of the Lord” ever come to you?
Q. Can you think of others who heard the “Word of the Lord” speaking to them
Samuel 3:4,6,8, *10

A. Titus 2:11-12 … Repent!

Vs. 2 … A direct commandment, GO! Not an option, not a choice

God is aware of what is happening on earth, and was aware of the sin in Nineveh.

Q. Can you give another example of God’s awareness of sin in a city?
A. Tower of Babel ( Gen. 11:4-8 )
B. Sodom and Gomorrah ( Gen. 18:20-21 ) .. read

Vs.3. Jonah flees because of disobedience

A. God knows and sees everything
a. Ps. 139 .. we cannot hide our secret sin from God
b. Luke 12:3

Q. Why was Jonah disobedient? ( 4:1-2 )

Vs. 4 Note how God responds to the disobedience of Jonah
Q. Does God always respond immediately to our disobedience?
* Name an example where lying trickery immediately cost disobedient people their lives.
Acts 5:1,5,9 Ananias and Sapphira
Q. Why doesn’t God strike us dead when we disobey? Or does he still do it sometimes?

Vs. 4-17 … Innocent people often suffer because of the sins of others. The storm that arose
Examples: evil rulers in Somalia,
People starve, drug addiction, an elderly lady gets mugged
Drunk driver kills a child riding a bicycle.

Vs. 15 Jonah takes the blame for his disobedience and is thrown overboard
Q. Have any of you almost drown?

Vs. 17 Gods provision, even for a disobedient man
Q. What is the “greatest fish” God has prepared for you?
God’s grace


Jonah Chapter 2 God’s Provision, Man’s Distress

Q. Give an example from your life when God’s Provision seemed to be your Distress.

Vs. 1 Out of the belly of “death” I cried and God heard me!
Q. Can you name a time when you were in the “belly of Gods fish”?

Vs. 3-4 Jonah knows his predicament was caused directly by God/ In his distress he still
hopes in God for deliverance.
Note: Psalm 88:1-18 … just like Jonah’s experience

Turning Point
Vs. 7-9 Key verses ( read them )
"When I had lost all hope, I turned my thoughts once more to the LORD. And my earnest prayer went out to you in your holy Temple.
They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy. But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.

Vs. 10 Q. Why did God respond to Jonah’s prayer?
Repentance and a Commitment to obey

Chapter 3

Vs. 1-2 NOTE: God’s commandment did not change to accommodate Jonah
The commandment was still GO! --- OBEY ME.

Vs. 3 Jonah Obeys in his Actions … actions speak louder than words
NOTE:
• God knows everything about us
• God knows the intent of our heart
• God cannot be Manipulated

We might lie to get our own way with someone – I promise to _____ if you will_____.
while we have no intention of fulfilling our promise.
Ex. College students borrow money and never pay back their college loan.

Q. What was the message of Jonah to the people of Nineveh?

Vs. 4 Jonah preaches a message of doom
4 On the day Jonah entered the city, he shouted to the crowds:
Forty days from now Nineveh will be destroyed!"
Q. How would the people of Lancaster City respond to such a message?


In the USA a message of repentance goes unheard or is ridiculed or the messenger is persecuted.
Jonah 3:5-9 The response of the king Nineveh and his people

• they believed
• they humbled themselves
• they repented and stopped sinning
• Great revival!

We see here that all Jonah preached was repentance. He did not talk about God’s love. He did not talk about God’s grace. He did not talk about some church doctrine. He preached repentance.

Vs. 10 God’s Response

God saw the Act of repentance and obedience of the people of Nineveh
Because the people humbled themselves and repented, God did not destroy them

Eternal principal:
When people obey in Heart and Action God blesses-
When people disobey they receive a curse
Galatians 6:7-8 ( turn to it )
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

Scriptures to meditate upon
Psalm 88:1-18, 89:1-18
Ps. 89:15-18 … Read this together

The following people were present:
Ric and Kathy Fogie, Esther Shirk, David and Tina Vanderbosh, David Fry, meeting held in home of Myron and Ruth Hostetter
The next Koinonia Bible Study will be on Thursday, January 24 in the home of Ric and Kathy Fogie. 898-2006
We will be studying the Book of Daniel. Ric will moderate.